Isn’t it great to finally be getting some rain? Tony and I went to Falmouth for my post-op appointment with an orthopedic PA and physical therapist on Monday morning and drove through some hard rain both going and coming, so we knew it was adding up, but we were surprised by how much. By the time we got home in mid-afternoon, we had over three inches in our rain gauge. I didn’t empty it, and now, as I write this at midday on Wednesday, another half-inch or so has been added. I hope it’s enough to bring people’s wells back up before winter.
While our dug well—which we share with our next-door neighbor, and which is located on property belonging to another neighbor, with deeded water rights—has always been reliable in terms of the volume of water, we don’t drink from it because it has failed water quality tests.
We get all of our drinking water, year-round, from the Bryant Pond roadside spring. Now, having just read Rose Lincoln’s story about uncertainty over the location of the spring’s source, I’m concerned about what the future may hold. The well house for the spring is on property owned by Kathy Mills Giunta, whose family has always allowed access, but an adjacent parcel of land is currently for sale, and a hydrological study is required to determine the exact location of the spring’s source.
Woodstock Town Manager Tonya Lewis says the town hopes to receive a Community Resilience Partnership grant to cover the cost of the study, expected to be about $14,000.
My new knee looked good on the x-rays that were taken at my post-op appointment. The bandage was removed and replaced with steri-strips, which are now in the process of falling off, and I was given the okay to drive.
When I told the PA that I drive a car with a standard transmission, she confessed that she had no idea how to drive a standard, having never done it. The physical therapist suggested that I go for a short drive first to make sure I was comfortable pushing in the clutch. I drove when we left the medical office, figuring I’d stop and switch with Tony if I got uncomfortable, but I was able to drive all the way home.
The next morning, I drove Tony to South Portland and back for a medical appointment for which he needed a driver. My leg was pretty tired by the time we got home, and I have to admit that driving a standard 200 miles in the span of about 24 hours at less than two weeks post-op may have been overdoing it a bit.
I remember that many years ago, Bob Coolidge had both knees replaced and then drove to Alaska very soon afterward. I think my own tolerance for pain is pretty high, but Bob’s was legendary.
Donna came up from Portsmouth last weekend, and on Saturday we enjoyed a walk on the Trail for All in the Buck’s Ledge Community Forest and a spectacular sunset from the overlook. About a dozen other sunset-seekers had the same idea—it’s great to see both the overlook and the Trail for All getting so much use!
Here are some upcoming events for your calendar:
Friday, October 24, from 6-9 p.m. and Saturday, October 25, 9 a.m. to noon at Gould Academy’s Field House, 74 Church Street in Bethel: The Bethel Outing Club’s 45th annual Ski and Snowboard Sale. New and used gear, clothing and accessories will be on sale, all in one place, making shopping for the winter season easy. The Outing Club takes 20% of each sale, which benefits youth outdoor programing in the Bethel area. To learn how to sell your unneeded (but not obsolete) winter gear or clothing, or how to volunteer to help at the sale (with some nice benefits), go to bethelouting.org and look under Events. There is a link to SignUp for volunteers and instructions on how to tag and inventory gear you’d like to sell. Donations of non-obsolete gear are also welcome. Tags for used gear, as well as instructions and inventory sheets are available at True North Adventureware and the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce.
Thursday, October 30, at 4 p.m. at the West Parish Congregational Church, 32 Church Street, Bethel: To Your Health presents “Mental Health Conversations for Older Adults” with Tori Tracy, Manager of Community Engagement at the Maine Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI). This program is free and open to the public, and all ages are welcome. The snow date is November 6.
Friday, October 31, from 4-7 p.m. on Broad Street, Bethel: “Trick-or-Treat Broad Street.” Volunteers at the Bethel Library, the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society, and the Hastings Homestead will be handing out candy to trick-or-treaters.
Sunday, November 2, at the First Universalist Church of West Paris: Acclaimed musician and fellow Unitarian Universalist Jim Scott will be leading the Sunday morning service at 9 a.m. Later the same day, at 2 p.m., he will present a concert at the church. His concert will be a tribute to Pete Seeger, with whom Jim collaborated in the past. A $20 donation for the concert is suggested, but the event is open to all.
Saturday, December 6, from 12-5 p.m. at the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society, 10 and 14 Broad Street, Bethel: “Christmas at the Mason House” and Holiday Open House and Bake Sale. More details to come as the date approaches.
Sunday, December 7, at 2 p.m. at the First Universalist Church of West Paris: The Oxford Hills Ukulele Group will lead a Christmas carol sing-along to get everyone into the spirit of Christmas. This is a popular event that the church has hosted in the past, and always lots of fun.
The Greenwood Farmers’ Market at the old Town Hall on Main Street will be held on the following Fridays: October 31, November 14, and December 12. The Holiday Wonderland, in the former office space to the left of the entry, will be available for people to “free-shop” during the market. This space is for distribution only, but if you have holiday items to donate, you can contact Lynn by email at cobblynn12@gmail.com or leave a message for her at the Greenwood Town Office, 207-875-2773.
I can tell that my recovery is progressing, because I’ve been able to concentrate on reading actual books, instead of just short articles, and even writing. You can find my latest blog post at the “Reflections” tab of this site. If you have news or events you’d like included here, email me at amy.w.chapman@gmail.com or call 207-890-4812.
“If you are in a beautiful place where you can enjoy sunrise and sunset, then you are living like a lord.” – Nathan Phillips
Very difficult to take it easy after surgery.